Guest Post + Giveaway: Confounding Confections: Why I Turn to Literature for Candy Inspiration

Welcome to a new feature at Guiltless Reading, Handcrafted Bookishness! I've been mulling about this little series for a while now because I have always been a huge fan and supporter of handmade and artisanal goods. I've been featuring all manner of bookish things on this blog for years and the bookish creativity in the world is astounding! From clothing, to nail art, to food and furniture, there is bound to be a bookish or literary take on it. This new series pays homage to the creators of bookish handcrafted goods and their handiwork.

I am kicking this series off with a guest post by Artemis Decco, the sassy proprietrix of the candy shop Confounding Confections. Please join me in welcoming Artie, the "Willa Wonka" I always knew existed! :). And don't forget to join the giveaway of some of her yummy creations! (US/Can only).

Great Taste in Books: Why I Turn to Literature for Candy Inspiration by Artemis Decco, owner of Confounding Confections

Advice from a Caterpillar, a nod to
Alice in Wonderland, in Chai spice.

There wasn’t one particular hobby or event that led me to my unusual occupation. My interests have always been vastly and even anti-productively diverse. Just when I started to fear I might be vocation-proof, everything I’d ever learned, and every silly whim I’d ever indulged, magically jelled to form Confounding Confections. Now, thanks in large part to my tremendously supportive partner, I attempt to make a living by creating delectable sweets inspired by my favorite books.

To really understand my motives, one would need to look no further than my childhood, which was generally miserable. I lived in poverty with my mother, who was quite unwell mentally and emotionally, and two abusive older sisters. Unsurprisingly, I found solace in books. I read absolutely everything. I probably exhausted the school and public libraries’ entire inventories twice over. Also unsurprisingly, I was particularly enchanted by the writings of Charles Dickens and Roald Dahl. If you’re unfamiliar with their work, I’m embarrassed to report that the stories are unfailingly about poor, wretched children who live in unfairly monstrous conditions, only to be redeemed by a charitable act of fate, or by their own talents and virtues.

Moustache Lollies .. so who has a white
moustache?

Aside from Dickens’ tragic heroes, I could often be found inhabiting the skins of Anne of Green Gables, Sherlock Holmes, or one of Edgar Allen Poe’s brooding madmen. That nostalgia permeates everything I do in life, and candy making is no exception. From our Moustache Lollies to our Treasure Island, Mad Tea Party, and Miss Havisham’s Bride-Cake themed hard candies, right down to our old-fashioned Coconut Ice (mentioned in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), if it doesn’t inspire sentiment, I’m not interested in making it. After all, candy should be a rare and special treat; why shouldn’t we demand more from it?

There’s little trace left of the frail, nervous bookworm I was as a child. I’ve grown into a brash, eccentric, gregarious buffoon. People are forever making Willy Wonka jokes and references to me, and understandably so. I’m a good sport, and I laugh along, but a secret known only to you and my other good friends is that I’m not Willy Wonka at all--I’m Charlie.

Visit Confounding Confections on Etsy.

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Artie and her partner Ken at work! Selling candy is more fun dressed up!

Images provided by Artemis Decco, Confounding Confections.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. And no, I wasn't paid in candy either. Post contains affiliate links.